It turns out cops in Cambodia have way too much time on their hands. We know this because they busted a man hoarding an illegal pet lion after seeing his video on TikTok. (But who doesn’t love watching someone get busted on social media?)
As police scrolled through social media (presumably eating the Cambodian equivalent of a donut), they discovered a rare animal being kept inside a house in Phnom Penh. Video of the lion showed him looking depressed as he watched the family dog running around the yard for the tenth time that morning.
When authorities arrived at the suspect’s house, they discovered the lion had been declawed and its canine teeth removed, a cruel measure that drastically reduces its quality of life. “People have no right to raise rare wildlife as pets,” a Cambodian government spokesman said.
Of course, in America, that’s not exactly the case. While half of the country outlaws keeping exotic animals as pets, six states have no ban on big cats. And while much of the world has banned the declawing of cats, we’re too worried about our new microfiber couch to go down like that.
Back in Cambodia, the 18-month-old lion is now on its way to an animal sanctuary in Phnom Tamao on the outskirts of the capital, where it can live out the rest of its days as a retired TikTok star. Though it won’t be able to claw anything, it reportedly gives great massages.
While police haven’t yet revealed the punishment for keeping a lion as a house pet, we hope they go easy on the animal outlaw. After all, we’ve all wanted to have a pet lion at some point in our lives – though most of us just do what normal people do and dress our dog in a Simba costume before taking mushrooms in the park.
Because we understand the difference between animals that belong in the wild and animals that belong in the house (except when we’re peaking our brains out).
Cover Photo: Cambodia Ministry of Environment (Getty Images)
Visit the Mandatory Shop for great deals on your very own Mandatory merch.
Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Entertainment News 7 1 21
-
Kylie Jenner Rocks 34-Year-Old Dress For Reunion With Travis Scott, She Could Just Wear Us Instead (That Would Be OK)
Read more here.
Photo: Gotham / Contributor (Getty Images)
-
Kim Kardashian Won’t Tame Sexy Style As a Lawyer, Let the Record Show She Failed Baby Bar Twice Already
Read more here.
Photo: ANGELA WEISS / Contributor (Getty Images)
-
Model Martha Hunt Shows Off Baby Bump in Sexy Bikini Instagram Photo, Nice Way to Start Any Week
Read more here.
Photo: Stefania D’Alessandro / Contributor (Getty Images)
-
Elizabeth Hurley Shows Off Staycation Style in Topless Bikini Pic on Instagram (If Only She Were Looking For a Roommate!)
Read more here.
Photo: Jason Kempin / Staff (Getty Images)
-
Gwyneth Paltrow Says Ex-Husband Chris Martin Is ‘Like a Brother,’ Basically the Last Thing Any Man Wants to Be to a Woman
Read more here.
Photo: Kevin Mazur / Contributor (Getty Images)
-
Alex Rodriguez Parties With Ben Affleck’s Ex Lindsay Shookus (This Is All Starting to Feel a Little Incestuous, Guys)
Read more here.
Photo: Gotham / Contributor and Jeff Kravitz / Contributor (Getty Images)
-
Dave Chapelle Joins Foo Fighters Onstage For Rendition of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ at Madison Square Garden, Making Him the Second Best Dave in the Band
Read more here.
Photo: Kevin Mazur / Contributor (Getty Images)
-
Will Smith Hilariously Reacquaints Himself With the Gym Post-Quarantine in Fresh Instagram Video
Read more here.
Photo: @willsmith (Instagram)
-
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom Go Old and Gray For Voting Rights PSA, We’re Still Into It Though
Read more here.
Photo: YouTube
-
Matthew McConaughey Just Got Major Endorsement For Governor From Ted Cruz (Asking Him Not to Run), Alright Alright!
Read more here.
Photo: Noam Galai / Stringer (Getty Images)
